Soil-based vs Soil-less gardening

Before opting for soil-less or soil-based gardening, it is better to understand what both have to offer. As it happens with everything, from both methods we can extract some advantages.

Soil-based gardening

The most commonly found is the traditional gardening where the usage of soil is imperative.

The quantity of crops harvested is strictly dependent on how you choose the soil. If it is a fertile soil, you will have an increased production. Furthermore, if you take care of it properly, you will maximize its potential. The quality of the vegetables and fruits grown in soil is also linked to the type of soil used. This is due to the fact that there can appear variations on the quantity of nutrients present. Adding up, establishing the nutrient problem can turn out to be difficult. Roots are prone to diseases if there are not enough nutrients to feed on. You will need little to no equipment. But the amount of work will be high due to the fact that the soil needs to be worked before planting the seeds. Anyway, if you are living in an area where the soil is known for its fertility, you will have success in growing with soil. This will ensure you that your plants will end up healthy. Anyway, a major disadvantage of this gardening technique is the fact that there is always the risk of disease and pest. Pest control can turn out to be difficult and unexpected. This is the reason why you will be forced to apply some solutions on your crops. Those will protect the plant, but it has the potential to diminish its quality.

Soil-less gardening

Soil-less gardening is becoming more and more popular due to the fact that it can offer you the maximum a plant can do in a life cycle. This means your harvest will be bigger than that in soil-based gardening. Furthermore, you are allowed to strictly manage the nutrients and the amount your plants receive. This represents a great opportunity for growing healthy crops that will make your diet perfect. By using this method, you are allowed to analyze the root`s development. This can turn out to be pretty helpful in establishing whether or not your plant has a certain disease. The system can turn out to be pretty expensive, but at first you can opt for a simple one. There is no rush. Another disadvantage is the fact that you will have to daily examine your plants and make weekly maintenance. In some cases you may be forced to document yourself in what the specifics of a plant are. So, if you are dedicated to gardening, soil-less gardening can be the best for you.

Summing up, both methods have their benefits and it mostly depends on the area you live in. In soil-less gardening you get the advantage of being the master of all that happens in your garden. In the other case, you depend strictly on soil and how it reacts to certain stimulus. By considering every aspect, we can say that soil-less gardening is the most beneficial when it comes to crop yield and nutrients fed to the crop.

soil, soil-based gardening, soil-less gardening